經文: 「衪既然愛世間屬自己的人，就愛他們到底。」— (聖經·約翰福音 13章1節b)
逾越節以前，耶穌知道自己離世的時候到了，在祂進到客西馬尼園前，祂與門徒之間有個敞開心門的談話，門徒們是耶穌所愛的對象，而且耶穌愛他們到底。
耶穌給了門徒一條新命令：「我怎樣愛你們，你們也要怎樣相愛。」(約翰福音 十三34)，然後又說：「有了我的命令又遵守的，這人就是愛我的；愛我的必蒙我父愛他，我也要愛他，並且要向他顯現。……並且我們要到他那裡去，與他同住。」(約翰福音 十四21,23)，這屬天的新生命，是上帝大愛在主耶穌裡的豐沛流露；接著又說：「我愛你們，正如父愛我一樣，你們要常在我的愛裡。你們若遵守我的命令，就常在我的愛裡……你們要彼此相愛，像我愛你們一樣，這就是我的命令。人為朋友捨命，人的愛心沒有比這個大的。」(約翰福音 十五9-13)。「叫世人知道祢差了我來，也知道祢愛他們如同愛我一樣。……我已將祢的名指示他們，……使祢所愛我的愛在他們裡面，我也在他們裡面。」(約翰福音 十七23,26)
上帝愛我們如同愛祂的獨生愛子一樣，還有什麼解釋「上帝的愛」的言語比這更淺顯易懂？上帝把祂的愛放在我們裡面成為我們的生命，耶穌的彰顯在我們裡面也是因著這愛；我們要經歷耶穌每天時時刻刻的同在，也是因著耶穌在我們裡面無限的愛；因著信靠上帝無限永恆的愛，我們就願完全順服上帝的命令且彼此相愛。
主曾責備早期的以弗所教會，把起初的愛心離棄了，只注意到人的活動與聖工。(啟示錄 二2-4)
親愛的，惟有浸沐在主聖潔永活的大愛中，主耶穌的同在才能被感受和覺察出來，同時主耶穌寶貴的應許，也才能在生活中被印證。
—《 神 的 心 意 》
(每日靈修 8月3日)
作者：慕安德烈
編輯：榮華興
『 Love 』
Scripture: “Jesus, having loved His own which were in the world, loved them unto the end.” — (John 13:1b)
These are the opening words of that holy, confidential talk of Christ with His disciples, as out of the depths of eternity He discoursed with them in the last hours before He went to Gethsemane (John xiii. to xvii.). They are the revelation and full display of that divine love which was manifested in His death on the Cross.
He begins with the new commandment: “That ye love one another as I have loved you” (John xiii. 34). A little later follows: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. … He that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself unto him . . . and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him” (xiv. 15, 21, 23). The new life, the heavenly life in Christ Jesus, is to be the unfolding of God’s love in Christ. Then, farther on: “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love. . . . This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John xv. 9-13); “That the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. . . . I have declared unto them Thy name . . . that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John xvii. 23, 26)
Can words make it plainer that God’s love to Christ is given to pass into us and to become our life, that the love wherewith the Father loved the Son is to be in us? If the Lord Jesus is to manifest Himself to us, it can only be to the loving heart. If we are to claim His daily presence with us, it can only be as a relationship of infinite tender love between Him and us, love rooted in the faith of God’s love to Christ coming into our hearts, and showing itself in obedience to His commandments and in love to one another.
We see how in the early Church the first love was forsaken after a time, and confidence was put in all the activities of service. (Rev. ii. 2-4)
It is only in the atmosphere of a holy, living love that the abiding presence of the loving Christ can be known, and the depth of the Divine Love expressed in Christ’s promise, “Lo, I am with you alway,” will be realised.
— God’s Best Secrets by Andrew Murray
「 3 August 」
